𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬: 𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐌𝐄𝐊𝐇𝐈

29. | P O W E R

C H A P T E R | TWENTY-NINE
POWER

𝙰 𝙸 𝙺 𝙾 𝙷 𝙰 𝙼 𝙸 𝙻 𝚃 𝙾 𝙽

AIKO sat quietly in the mild darkness of the room with nothing to say. It was no secret that she didn't want to be there but her father was thoroughly concerned about his daughter's mental and physical health after the ordeal of her beating. So in true Hamilton fashion he dealt with it without dealing with it. Mr. Hamilton sent her against her will to an expensive therapist who had a program that assured him he would get his daughter on the right track by the time she was finished with it - - he was sure he could reform the child, positive.

Mr. Hamilton needed to hear no more, he was convinced and thought as long as he could still travel and get his business done while Aiko got better everything was a go for him. In other words, daddy simply wrote the check and pawned her off while he worried about more important things.

"Aiko I want you to share your feelings with me," said the therapist, "I want to understand what makes you, you? What makes Aiko tick," she pressed her fingers together and leaned forward, "We're in this together," she said, "Let's make this work, okay? Let's go on this journey together." Aiko sighed and pulled her knees up to her chest, wearing no make up, no designer labels, nothing but an oversized sweatshirt that came to her knees and house shorts with slippers. Her hair was messily tied up into a bun - - she wouldn't even comb it herself.

She had no desire to work, dress up, look nice, or do any of the things that she used to do before the incident with Carter and his wife. It wasn't really the issue between she and Destini that had taken her so low it was the issue between she and Carter. It had been months since she heard from him - - he hadn't even called her up for sex at least and when she tried to call him she found that he had disconnected his number. He didn't argue with her, he didn't communicate with her - - just changed his number and left her in his dust. No goodbye - - no nothing and when it got to that point she kind of just lost it.

"I don't want to go on anybody's stupid ass journey," Aiko finally said, rocking with her knees pulled up to her chest, "I don't want you here."

"Just tell me what you're thinking," the therapist begged, "Tell me why you're at the point you're at - - This person isn't who you are. Something got you here. Aiko why are you here? Mentally..."

"Because," she looked out the window, holding herself close, "He ruined me."

"What do you mean?" Said the therapist as she took notes on her yellow pad, "How did he ruin you?"

"He's like a poison," Aiko said and looked back at the therapist, "He gets you high and makes you feel like you want to die when he's gone," she looked back down at her feet, "He ruins things. We could have had everything together," Aiko wiped her eyes with her sleeves, "I've taken a lot of shit," she laughed through her tears.

"There's no drug comparable to Carter Mekhi. The worst a person could ever take - - but I can't help myself. I have all these feelings for him; I never felt this way about anyone before. Men to me are like - - like toys," she laughed again, "I can have any one I want - - they all fall all over me because of what I look like but Carter he's not just a man."

"Well then what is he?"

"More," Aiko said, "Much more. He's an addiction, a poison - - it's like he's invincible and all the women he comes into contact with - - we all die in some kind of way. Not literally but mentally," she didn't know why she was finally pouring it all out but she was, "I feel so dead inside."